Covid-19 cases surge in Hawaii as new variants creep into communities

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Hawaii, with health officials identifying new variants that are creeping into communities. The state is seeing about 144 new confirmed cases a day, though most would not be reported.

There were 1,179 new cases in the state last week, according to the state Health Department. Positivity rates rose to 17 per cent and hospital admissions and emergency room visits also climbed.

Infectious disease expert Tim Brown from the East-West Center said new Covid variants “are just very immune evasive, and so the protections that we had from before are not working as well,” reports Hawaii News Now.

Brown said the same variants now spreading in Hawaii have been causing mayhem in New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore. He described the spike in cases in Hawaii as a “massive rise”.

As it takes a while for the public to notice infection counts, most workplaces have abandoned Covid-19 precautions, sparking worry among experts, including Brown. It is a repeat of similar cycles seen throughout the pandemic.

At Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s latest town hall in Waipio, it was business as usual. There were four people sporting masks but when more people hear of the new Covid counts, more might want to protect themselves.

The Special Olympics summer games will be attended by hundreds of people this weekend while thousands of Pacific Islanders came together at the FestPAC opening ceremony on Thursday night.

“It’s unfortunately a nasty timing for these two events to overlap because unfortunately, it means we could send a lot of Covid back to the Pacific,” Brown said.

The city’s first responders have also seen calls increasing. Ian Santee, deputy director of the city’s Emergency Services Department, confirmed: “We do get more 911 calls because people are sick.

“Covid’s out there but there’s the flu, there’s the common cold and so forth, so we just want to encourage people to be careful out there. Wash your hands. If you are sick, stay home, don’t go to work.”

State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble is urging people to get the latest Covid vaccine and Brown agrees. He added: “13.4 per cent is the number for Hawaii which is not very good.

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“It’s a shame because the booster will — just like the flu shot — it will reduce the severity of your infection if you do get infected.”

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